Tracking or rejection of periodic signals is an issue commonly found in power electronics applications, such as switching power supplies, AC/DC converters, motor speed fluctuation, synchronous rectifiers, uninterruptible power supplies (“UPS”) and active filters. In these cases, the disturbances and/or input signals are composed of specific higher harmonics of the fundamental frequency of the power source. Repetitive control arises as a practical solution to such issues and is based on the internal model principle. Repetitive control attempts to provide exact asymptotic output tracking of periodic inputs or rejection of periodic disturbances. The internal model principle states that the controlled output can track a class of reference commands without a steady state error if the generator, or the model, for the reference is included in a stable closed-loop system. Therefore, according to the internal model principle, if a periodic disturbance has an infinite Fourier series (of harmonic components), then an infinite number of resonant filters are required to reject the disturbance. For a detailed description of internal model principle, reference is made to B. Francis and W. Wonham, “The internal model principle for linear multivariable regulators,” Applied Mathematics and Optimization, Vol. 2, pp. 170-194, 1975, which is incorporated by reference. For a description of a stability study of linear infinite dimensional repetitive controllers, reference is made to S. Hara, Y. Yamamoto, T. Omata and M. Nakano, “Repetitive control systems: A new type servo systems and its applications,” IEEE Trans. Automat. Contr., Vol. 33, No. 7, pp. 659-667, 1988 and the numerous references therein.
Fortunately, in the repetitive control approach, a simple delay line in a proper feedback array can be used to produce an infinite number of poles and thereby simulate a bank of an infinite number of resonant filters, leading to system dynamics of infinite dimension. Repetitive control may have many applications on power electronic systems such as rectifiers, inverters and active filters. The use of repetitive control for a reduction of periodic disturbances with frequencies corresponding to the specific frequencies is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,090, where the transfer function of the controller includes an infinite number of poles, with no zeros introduced between the poles.